Tie holder



p 1970 H. B.- MISSAKIAN N 3,529,327

TIE HOLDER Filed Dec. 5. 1968 HAROLD B. MISSAKIA/V INVENTOR ATTORNfYSUnited States Patent 3,529,327 TIE HOLDER Harold B. Missakian, Selma,Calif. (4130 Army St., Apt. 60, San Francisco, Calif. 94131) Filed Dec.5, 1968, Ser. No. 781,380 Int. Cl. A41d 25/10 US. Cl. 24-56 11 ClaimsABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A tie holder of one piece resilient Wireconstruction having an elongated loop-like portion engageable with ashirt button and a pair of U-shaped members generally defining a loop.The members have individual legs which are in substantial alignment andprovide free ends which overlap. The free ends are bent to form pincersadapted to grip the back of a tie.

BACKGROUND OF INVENTION The present invention relates to a tie holderand more particularly to a device for holding a four-in-hand necktie inplace on the body of a wearer in a manner whereby the device is hiddenfrom view and consequently can be made of inexpensive non-ornamentalconstruction.

Various types of tie holders and devices have been proposed for holdingneckties in place on the body of a wearer in a manner to present anorderly and pleasant appearance. As is well known, unless a necktie issomehow held in place, the ends thereof dangle and swing with movementof the wearer which detracts from his per sonal appearance and can causeinterference with various activities. To overcome these problems,devices have been contrived to hold the ends of the necktiessubstantially in place including piercing pins, clips, clasps, holdersand the like. These devices, when presenting parts exposed to view,constitute part of the dress of the wearer and if not pleasing inappearance and quality detract from such personal appearance. Thus, suchdevices perform an ornamental as well as a utilitarian function. Thisrequires materials and handiwork in the manufacture of the devices whichincrease the price thereof. Since the tie holder art is a highlycompetitive one, small differences in the cost of manufacture of suchdevices can easily determine commercial success or failure.

SUMMARY OF INVENTION It is therefore an object of the present inventionto provide a necktie holder which is of relatively inexpensiveconstruction.

Another object is to provide a tie holder which is associated with anecktie in a manner to be covered thereby and hidden from view.

Another object is to provide a tie holder of relatively simpleconstruction.

Another object is to provide a tie holder which is operativelyassociated with a tie and a shirt button for holding the tie properly inplace and is hidden by the tie whereby it need not serve an ornamentalpurpose.

Another object is to provide a tie holder of relatively simple andinexpensive construction which is readily attachable in a rapid andfacile manner and is highly effective in retaining the tie in place.

Another object is to provide a tie holder of one piece wire constructionwhich is easily fabricated and the per unit cost of construction isminimized.

A further object is to provide a tie holder which attaches to theunderneath side of a tie and does not impair its appearance or damageits fabric.

These and other objects and advantages are achieved by 3,529,327Patented Sept. 22, 1970 ice the provision of the tie holder of thepresent invention made of a single length of resilient wire bent into aconfiguration for ready attachment thereof to a shirt button and a tiein a manner hiding the holder from view. The tie holder includes a pairof generally U-shaped members with the open ends of the members inadjacency and a leg of each member generally aligned with a leg of theother member with the free distal ends thereof in overlapping relation,the members generally defining a loop. The free ends of theaforementioned legs are bent to project out of the plane of the membersto provide a pair of pincers adapted to grip the material of the backside of a tie therebetween. The other legs of the members are joined toan elongated loop-like portion open at one end through which theattaching threads of a shirt button are adapted to pass for engaging theportion with the button. After the tie has been tied, the loop-likeportion of the holder is engaged with a shirt button with the pincersprojecting forwardly. The tail piece of the tie is passed through theloop defined by the U-shaped members behind the pincers and in coveringrelation to the loop-like portion and associated legs, after which thepincers are engaged with the back of the covering or dress portion ofthe tie.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING FIG. 1 shows a tie holder embodying theprinciples of the present invention in dashed line as worn on the shirtof a user to clasp a tie in place.

FIG. 2 is an enlarged perspective view of the tie holder furtherillustrating its relation to the tie and shirt which are fragmentarilyshown.

FIG. 3 is an enlarged front elevation of the tie holder.

FIG. 4 is an enlarged top plan view of the tie holder illustrating theprojection of the pincers from the plane of the remainder of the holder.

DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENT Referring to the drawings, there is shown indashed line in FIG. 1 a tie holder 10 embodying the principles of thepresent invention and illustrating its relation to a cravat or necktie12. The necktie is disposed in conventional four-in-hand fashion withthe bight thereof about the neck of a person P and the ends thereofdepending therefrom. As will later appear, the tie holder 10 isoperatively associated with the necktie and with a shirt button 14 of ashirt 16 worn by the person P.

Inviting attention to FIG. 2, it will be noted that the tie holder 10 isformed with an elongated loop-like portion 18 defining an elongatedaperture 20 which is of lesser breadth than the button 14. The button isaffixed to the shirt in the ordinary manner by relatively thin attachingmeans, such as thread 22 or the like. At its upper end, the loop-likeportion 18 is formed with inwardly bent ends 24 defining a narrow mouth26 therebetween.

As also shown in FIG. 3, the bent ends 24 are joined to a pair ofU-shaped members 28 which are generally disposed in the plane of theportion 18 and generally define a loop-like opening 30. Each member 28is formed with a leg 32 which is joined to a respective end 24 andoutwardly directed therefrom. Each member 28 also has an inwardlydirected leg 34 with the distal ends of these legs disposed inoverlapping relation. The opening 30 is elongated in a directiontransversely of the aperture 20 and is in communication therewith viathe mouth 26. Thus, the tie holder has a generally T-shapedconfiguration.

The distal ends of the legs 34 are bent out of the plane of members 28to one side thereof, as shown in FIG. 4, to provide a pair of grippingjaws 36 constituting pincers. The gripping jaws can be opened byapplying pressure on the members 28 as indicated by the arrows A in FIG.3. Upon release of such pressure, the jaws of the pincers are adapted toclose and grip material therebetween.

Returning to FIG. 2, the necktie 12 when tied provides an outer coveringor dress portion 38 and an inner or ta 11 piece 40 which in the finaldress condition of the necktie is covered by the dress portion, as shownin FIG. 1. The tail piece 40 is adapted to be threaded through thelooplike opening 30 defined by the shaped members 28 so as to passbehind the pincers jaws 36 and depend in covering relation to theloop-like portion 18. The exertion of pressure in the direction of thearrows A in FIG. 3 for opening the jaws is easily and readily applied bythe fingers of the person P. Upon closing the jaws, the material of thereverse or back side of the dress portion 38 of the necktie is grippedtherebetween, as shown in FIG. 2.

The tie holder can be fabricated from any suitable materials, forexample, metallic, plastic and the like. However, in the interests ofsimplicity and economy of manufacture, the holder is preferably madefrom a single piece of resilient wire, configured substantially as shownin FIGS. 3 and 4. By making the tie holder of a single piece of materialthe problem of the separation and loss of component parts is avoided.

OPERATION The operation of the device of the present invention isbelieved to be clearly apparent and is briefly summarized at this point.With the necktie 12 conventionally tied in four-in-hand fashion, the tieholder 10 is disposed with the pincers jaws 36 thereof projecting awayfrom the body of the person P. The tie holder is manipulated to pass thebutton 14 through the opening defined by the members 30. The tie holderis then pulled upwardly so that the attaching threads 22 pass throughthe mouth 26 between the bent ends 24 to dispose the loop-like portion18 between the button and the shirt 16, as shown in FIG. 2. The tailpiece 40 is then threaded through the opening 30 in a manner to disposethe tail piece behind the legs 34 and jaws 36 and in covering relationto the loop-like portion 18 and the button 14. Finger pressure is thenapplied to the members 28 in the direction of the arrows A to open thejaws 36. The dress portion 38 of the necktie is then manipulated toplace the reverse or back side thereof in engagement with the jaws,whereupon finger pressure on the members 28 is released and the jawsgrip the tie material. Dress portion 38 is then dropped to present aneat and sightly appearance, as shown in FIG. 1. Preferably, theloop-like portion 18 is elongated and the tie holder is connected to thenecktie to locate the shirt button approximately midway of the length ofthe portion to provide an amount of lost motion therebetween permittingfreedom of movement without pulling on the shirt of the wearer.

There has thus been provided a tie holder of simple and inexpensiveconstruction which operates in a facile and reliable manner foreffectively holding a necktie neatly in place. Moreover, the tie holderperforms its functions in a hidden manner so as to preclude thenecessity of expensive ornamental manufacture thereof.

Although the invention has been herein shown and described in what isconceived to be the most practical and preferred embodiment, it isrecognized that departures may be made therefrom within the scope of theinvention, which is not to be limited to the details disclosed hereinbut is to be accorded the full scope of the claims so as to embrace anyand all equivalent devices and apparatus.

Having described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secureby Letters Patent is:

1. A tie holder for holding a four-in-hand necktie in place on the bodyof a person wearing a shirt having a relatively broad front button heldto the shirt by relatively thin attaching means, said device comprisinga structure having a portion defining an elongated aperture of lesserbreadth than the button and having a narrow mouth at one end forreceiving the attaching means of the button, a first pair of oppositelydirected arms, each arm having an end joined to said structure portionat the mouth thereof, a second pair of arms joined to the first pair ofarms having overlapping free ends, said pairs of arms defining anopening through which a tail portion of the tie is adapted to pass andbe disposed in covering relation to the structure portion, and grippingmeans on said free ends engageable with the back of a dress portion ofthe tie, whereby said dress portion is disposable in covering relationto the device.

2. The tie holder of claim 1 in which the arms are made of a resilientmaterial, and the gripping means are defined by jaws normally urgedtogether, said arms being adapted to be finger pressed to open the jaws.

3. The tie holder of claim 2 in which the structure portion and arms alllie generally in a plane, and the jaws project from said plane.

4. The tie holder of claim 3 in which the structure portion, arms andpincers are made from a single piece of material.

5. The tie holder of claim 4 in which the material is resilient wire.

6. A tie holder of one-piece construction comprising a pair of generallyU-shaped members lying in a plane with the open ends of the members inadjacency and a leg of each member generally aligned with a leg of theother member with the free ends thereof in adjacency, said membersgenerally defining an opening, gripping means on said free ends disposedin facing relation and projecting from one side of the plane, and anelongated loop-like portion open at one end joined at said open end tothe other legs of the members.

7. The tie holder of claim 6 in which said free ends overlap, and thegripping means are in the form of opposmg aws.

8. The tie holder of claim 6 in which the one-piece construction isconstituted by a single piece of wire.

9. The tie holder of claim 6 in which the entire structure of the claspis constituted by a single piece of wire having a degree of resiliency,said free ends overlap, and the gripping means are jaws normally biasedinto closed position by the resiliency of the U-shaped members, saidmembers being adapted to be finger pressed for opening the jaws.

10. The tie holder of claim 6 in which the opening and the loop-likeportion each have a longitudinal axis, said axes being generallyperpendicular to each other, whereby the tie holder has a generallyT-shaped configuration.

11. A tie holder comprising a continuous length of resilient wirematerial having opposite ends and a mid portion, the mid portion forminga button receiving bight having opposite legs; the legs havingindividual continuous portions divergently extended outwardly from thebight to define an opening adapted to receive the tail piece of a tie,and arms individually continuous with said opening defining portionsinwardly extended and terminating with said opposite ends in reverselybent overlapping relation, the mid portion, legs, opening definingportions and arms being disposed substantially in a plane to lie flatlyagainst a wearer with the opposite ends being outwardly extendedtherefrom forming pincers adapted to clasp the underside of a tie.

DONALD A. GRIFFIN, Primary Examiner

